Well, howdy there! Today, we’re gonna jaw about somethin’ kinda brainy – you know, that “major in astronomy” thing they got in them crossword puzzles. Yep, them city folk and their fancy word games!
Now, I ain’t no scholar, mind you. Never even finished school. But I do like them puzzles sometimes, when I got nothin’ better to do than sit on the porch and swat flies. And this here “major in astronomy” thing, it pops up more often than a stray dog at dinner time.
So, what in tarnation does it mean? Well, it’s askin’ ya what you call someone who studies all them stars and planets and such. Big words for lookin’ up at the sky, if you ask me. They got all sorts of fancy names for it, but the puzzle folks, they usually want a short one, somethin’ that fits in them little squares.
- Sometimes they want four letters. Heck, I seen ’em ask for that URSA before. Don’t ask me what it means, sounds like somethin’ you catch from a dirty water pump. But them puzzle makers, they love it.
- Other times, they might be lookin’ for somethin’ longer. They got all sorts of words jumbled up in their heads, them city folk do. I heard tell they got whole books filled with this stuff. Can you imagine? Waste of good paper, I say.
Now, the tricky part is figurin’ out which word they want THIS time. See, they got all these clues and hints, and sometimes they make sense, and sometimes they just sound like a rooster crowin’ at midnight. You gotta look at the other words around it, the ones goin’ up and down, and try to piece it all together like a quilt.
They say this “major in astronomy” clue, it shows up all the time. More times than I seen a blue moon, that’s for sure. And every time, it’s a little bit different. Sometimes they give you a hint about bears – yeah, bears in the sky! Go figure. Other times, they might talk about the dipper, you know, that big spoon thing hangin’ up there. It’s enough to make your head spin faster than a whirligig in a tornado.
I reckon the best way to figure it out is to just try a bunch of words. Start with the short ones, like that URSA thing, and if that don’t fit, try somethin’ else. Keep guessin’ ’til somethin’ clicks. It’s like fishin’, you know? Sometimes you gotta cast your line a whole bunch of times before you catch somethin’ good.
And don’t get discouraged if you can’t get it right away. Them crossword puzzles, they’re meant to be hard. They ain’t like plantin’ corn, where you just stick the seed in the ground and wait for it to grow. You gotta use your brain, and sometimes you gotta cheat a little bit, too. Ain’t no shame in lookin’ up the answer in the back of the book, long as nobody sees ya. What they don’t know won’t hurt ‘em, I always say.
So, next time you see that “major in astronomy” clue, don’t go frettin’. Just take a deep breath, look up at the sky, and try to think like them city folk. And if you still can’t figure it out, well, just ask your grandkid. Them youngsters, they know all sorts of things these days, even if they don’t know how to milk a cow.
And that’s all I gotta say about that there “major in astronomy” thing. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go chase them chickens out of the garden. Them critters are more trouble than a crossword puzzle on a Sunday morning, I tell ya!
Oh, and one more thing, I heard someone say there are about 20 or even 30 or more different ways to answer that “major in astronomy” question in them crosswords. Heck, that’s more than the number of cats old Mrs. Henderson has and she’s got a whole yard full of them! Sounds like a whole lot of fuss over looking at stars if you ask me. But what do I know? I’m just an old woman who likes her peace and quiet.
Tags: [crossword, astronomy, clue, puzzle, major, URSA, solve, space, stars, education]
